Defining design principles to precisely control the composition and morphology of nanomaterials is scientifically interesting and technologically important. For example, optical and catalytic properties are strongly impacted by the size and shape of nanomaterials. Furthermore, new properties deviating from bulk behaviour may arise at the nanoscale.
Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) are a class of nanomaterials whose tunability makes them an ideal platform to uncover new phenomena as well as to provide technological solutions.
However, the synthetic development of NCs remains largely a process based on trial and error, which is the case for most materials. We believe that this current limitation derives from the lack of fundamental understanding of the precise chemistry and mechanisms underlying the nucleation and growth of NCs. While researchers have gained some “intuition” for synthesizing NCs, rational design rules are still missing.
LNCE pushes the current knowledge in the chemistry of nanocrystals and develops innovative synthetic approaches for various classes of NCs, such as copper-based NCs, metal-oxide NCs, quantum dots or even liquid metals. We also create materials with new properties by tailoring interfaces among components of different chemical nature, see for example our work on colloidal atomic layer deposition.
To advance the field of materials chemistry, our team pioneers synthetic methods informed by a better understanding of the chemistry involved in NC formation. We achieve this understanding by employing a combination of in-situ measurements and more conventional ex-situ techniques, allowing us to understand and tune the processes that govern NC formation and growth.
Finally, we use these NCs combined with molecular chemistry tools to understand and create design rules for more active, selective and stable electrocatalysts and photocatalysts. Current reactions of interest include CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), CO reduction reaction (CORR), nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) and organic transformations.